The present invention relates to ovens and particularly to barbecue ovens for cooking and smoking food.
Heretofore, a wide variety of ovens have been designed for cooking and smoking food, and particularly for barbecuing beef, pork and other meats. Such previously developed ovens are known to have included electrical and wood burning heat sources. Some of the early barbecue ovens were actually metal refrigerators which were modified to include a heat and smoke source. In these ovens, the heat and smoke source was usually located near the bottom of the oven, and the food was supported on racks in the middle and top areas of the oven.
Examples of previously developed barbecue ovens include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,841,211 and 3,699,876, both issued to Ellis. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,699,876, a barbecue oven is disclosed having an ash pit for containing a wood fire and racks disposed above the ash pit for holding food. A pan is located above the ashpit but below the racks for catching drippings from food or for supporting charcoal when the device is utilized as an outdoor charcoal grill. The oven also includes an adjustable stack with a damper to control the circulation of smoke across the food on the grill rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,841,211 discloses a barbecue oven having a fuel supporting tray beneath which is positioned an electrical heating element. A rack is located above the tray for supporting food. Heat from the heating element causes the wood fuel to smoke and smolder, but not blaze. The elevation of the fuel tray above the heating element is self-regulated through bimetal support elements.
The barbecue ovens heretofore developed have been characterized by numerous problems relating to grease control and air flow within the oven. When large quantities of meat are barbecued in an oven, a substantial quantity of grease and moisture is produced. In previously developed ovens, a problem has been encountered with the grease leaking from the oven into the surrounding area. The grease also tends to accumulate on surfaces within the oven. Typically, a sensor from a thermostat controlling the oven would become insulated by a coating of grease and wood resins causing the thermostat to malfunction and overheat the oven. After grease has accumulated within conventional ovens, they are typically difficult to clean because of a poor design neglecting the cleaning problems and the grease and wood resin accumulations. Also, the accumulated material has been found to foul electrical receptacles within the oven causing poor electrical connections and, in some cases, causing rapid deterioration of the receptacle.
Air flow problems within ovens previously developed resulted from the fact that the heat source is typically located in the bottom of the oven while the food is supported in the middle and top of the oven. The food nearest the heat source generally got hotter and cooked faster than the food further away from the heat source. Air circulation within the oven was impeded by the fact that the racks of food were often positioned against the oven walls such that air could not circulate around the sides of the racks.
Another problem associated with air flow is food shrinkage during cooking operations. If air is allowed to flow relatively freely through the oven, then the temperature differential within the oven is reduced, but an excessive amount of moisture is removed from the food. This results in a loss of weight or shrinkage of the food, and the food is usually drier and less tasty.
The barbecue oven of the present invention overcomes the foregoing and other problems long since associated with grease control and air flow in a barbecue oven. In accordance with the present invention, a barbecue oven is provided having an oven body which includes a top surface, a bottom surface, two side walls, a back wall and a front opening. An oven liner defining the cooking area of the oven is disposed within the oven body in a spaced apart relationship. The oven liner includes two interior side walls, a back interior wall, a top interior surface, a bottom interior surface and a front opening. A thermally insulated door is pivotally mounted on the oven body for closing the front opening of the oven liner and the oven body.
Rack supports are removably mounted on the two interior side walls of the oven, and planar cooking racks are slidably mounted in a horizontal position on the rack supports. The racks are thus mounted within the oven in a vertically spaced apart relationship from one another. Spacer pins extend from the racks to engage the back interior wall of the oven liner and to engage the door in a closed position. These spacer pins are operable to position the racks within the oven such that air may circulate along the back interior wall and along the door of the oven in a closed position.
Drip pan supports are disposed below the rack supports, and a drip pan is slidably supported in a horizontal position on the drip pan supports beneath the cooking racks. Grease and moisture drippings falling from the food during cooking operations are caught and contained in the drip pan.
The drip pan also includes two spacer flanges, one extending from the drip pan to engage the back interior wall and the other flange engaging the door in a closed position. The spacer flanges are operable to position the drip pan in a spaced apart relationship with the back interior wall and with the door in a closed position to allow air to circulate around the drip pan. The drip pan supports are adapted to position the drip pan in a spaced apart relationship from the two interior side walls such that air also may circulate by said drip pan along the interior side walls.
The lowermost rack support includes a pair of flanges disposed horizontally along the interior side walls of the oven extending away from the interior side walls in an inward and downward direction. Each of the flanges include a back raised portion for directing drippings toward the front of the oven and includes a front raised portion for directing drippings toward the rear of the oven. The two parallel flanges are positioned within the oven to deflect drippings into the drip pan to prevent collection of grease drippings in the lower area or "firebox" of the oven.
An aperture is provided for draining grease from the drip pan, and a valve is mounted on the drip pan to control the flow of grease through the aperture. A lever handle extends from the valve and is used for opening and closing the valve. Normally, the valve is closed during cooking operations, and after the cooking is completed, the valve is opened to drain grease and moisture from the drip pan. The valve and handle are positioned such that the handle engages the door of the oven to prevent the door from closing when the valve is in an open position. In this manner, it is impossible to close the door and begin cooking operations without properly closing the valve mounted on the drip pan.
As a part of the grease control system, a door grease deflector is mounted on the lower portion of the door extending inwardly and downwardly from the door. The door grease deflector deflects grease and moisture flowing down the door of the oven causing it to drip onto the bottom surface. The bottom surface includes a kick-up portion angled upwardly towards the door of the oven. The kick-up portion is disposed adjacent the door and beneath the door grease deflector, and functions to contain grease and moisture on the bottom interior surface within the oven. In this manner, grease and moisture are prevented from leaking out of the oven through a crack between the door and the oven liner.
An ash pan is disposed within the cooking area and includes a substantially horizontal surface and two leg flanges for supporting the horizontal surface in a spaced apart relationship with the bottom interior surface of the oven liner. The ash pan also includes side walls. An electrical heating element is supported on the side walls of the ash pan, and a wood tray is disposed on the heating element directly above the ash pan. The wood tray contains wood that smolders and provides smoke during the cooking operation. The wood tray includes apertures for allowing wood ashes to fall from the wood tray through the heating element and onto the horizontal surface of the ash pan. In this manner, the wood is able to smolder and smoke without an excessive accumulation of ashes in the wood tray, and the ash pan receives and contains ashes falling from the wood pan to prevent the ashes from damaging the bottom interior surface of the oven liner.
An electrical receptacle is mounted on the back interior wall of the oven liner for connection to the electrical element. A grease shroud is mounted on the back interior wall above the electrical receptacle. The grease shroud prevents grease and moisture from dripping onto the electrical receptacle. In this manner, the integrity of the electrical connection between the receptacle and the heating element is preserved, and the life expectancy of the receptacle is enhanced.
The current flowing to the electrical heating element and the temperature within the cooking area of the oven is controlled by a thermostat. The thermostat includes a temperature sensor engaging the exterior surface of the back interior wall of the oven liner for generating a signal corresponding to the temperature of the oven liner. The thermostat further includes a control unit responsive to signals from the sensor to control the current flowing to the electrical heating element. By controlling the current flowing to the electrical heating element, the temperature within the oven is maintained within a predetermined range. A dial control is provided on the thermostat for allowing the operator to select the predetermined temperature range of the cooking area during cooking operations.
As part of an air control system for the oven, a heat resistant gasket is disposed along the front opening of the oven liner to engage the door. In this manner a substantially airtight seal is formed to isolate the cooking area of the oven from the outside air. A vent pipe extends through the top surfaces of the oven liner and oven body for exhausting smoke and gases from the cooking area. Since the vent pipe is the only substantial communication between the cooking area and the exterior of the oven, there is very little air flow through the oven. The restriction of airflow through the oven is essential to the reduction in food shrinkage due to moisture loss.
To insure that the door firmly engages the gasket, at least one latch support is provided pivotally mounted on the oven body adjacent the open end of the oven body and pivotable about a first axis. A latch arm is pivotally mounted on the latch support and pivots about a second axis that is displaced from and perpendicular to the first axis. A wear plate is mounted on the door for engaging the latch arm. The latch arm is slightly bent away from the door in a latched position so that the latch engages the wear plate but is spaced apart from the door. A keeper is mounted on the door adjacent the wear plate for receiving the latch to fasten the door in a closed position.
In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of heating elements are disposed between the oven body and the oven liner engaging the exterior surface of the oven liner at positions adjacent the cooking racks. The heating elements heat the oven liner adjacent the cooking racks to provide heat within the cooking area. At least one removable panel is provided on each exterior side of the oven body proximate to the plurality of heating elements for allowing access to the heating elements. Additionally, a smoke generator including a heating element is located in the lower area of the oven with a wood pan as previously described. The smoke generator heating element is controlled by the same thermostat that controls the main heating elements.